Sliding partitions such as sliding doors or windows are typically mounted in a lower and/or upper track. The track is generally of a U shaped channel section to guide the sliding partition between its open and closed positions.
One type of sliding door arrangement has the door sliding into a cavity wall when moved to its open position. Another type of sliding door assembly has the door sliding past a wall when moving to its open position. A yet further type of sliding door assembly has the sliding door sliding past a fixed door or window when moved between its open and closed positions.
In each of the above constructions, there is a requirement to ensure that the door can properly slide without striking the walls of the cavity, the fixed wall or the fixed door or window as the case may be. There is a further requirement to ensure that the entire assembly is as compact as possible. For instance, cavities of large width are difficult to make and result in loss of available living space in a room. For doors sliding past a wall or a fixed door or windows, it is generally undesirable to have the track spaced too far from the wall as this looks unsightly and in the case of upper tracks is difficult to support.
In the situation of two doors which can slide relative to each other, such an assembly requires a channel divided into two longitudinal tracks with each door sliding in a respective track. Again, it is a requirement that the doors do not strike each other when being moved.
Sliding partitions (such as sliding doors) containing rotatable louvres are also known. The louvres are mounted more or less in the conventional manner (i.e. pivotally mounted to a surround frame) and can be rotated by an actuating mechanism. Examples of louvre assemblies are illustrated in Australian Patent Applications 50979/79, 68212/81, 80610/82, 33573/84 and variations are illustrated in 68756/81 and 10847/83.
In each of these illustrated examples, the louvres when moved to an open position, have portions which jut from the surround frame. These portions can either include the louvre blades themselves or a handle or like member.
Clearly, if such arrangements are mounted to a sliding door, such a door cannot be slid to an open position when the louvres are in their open positions without the louvres striking and being damaged by the fixed wall, fixed door or window or the walls of a cavity.
However, there is a considerable demand for louvre doors having rotatable louvres (as opposed to fixed louvres) especially in the tropical or semi-tropical areas. The rotating louvres provide a degree of privacy and protection against weather.